God of War: a Change in Destiny
by DannyTheDarkmaker1313
Summary: The final battle on Olympus had destroyed the Earth itself, the only remaining living being was the one who caused it all: Kratos, the Slayer of Gods, Ghost of Sparta and Death itself. Using the power of the Fates, Kratos travels back in time and takes the place of himself before he had requested the aid of Ares, but kept all his powers. How will this action change his fate?
1. Chapter 1

**God of War: a Change in Destiny**

**Chapter 1: The Action**

_**Mount Olympus, After the Defeat of the Titans…**_

Kratos stood upon the ledge, gazing down at the ruin of what had once been mankind. Without Zeus, the sky was free to torment the earth with continual storms of lightning. Without Poseidon the seas were raging and sinking vessels upon them. Without Gaia and Hera, the earth was free to overgrow and destroy cities. Without Boreas and the other Wind Gods, storms ravaged everywhere. Mortal blood was being spilt by that which was once controlled by the Gods.

All of mankind was dying before Kratos, and he had caused it with his act of vengeance. But he did not care for this, since he had only cared for Sparta, and before that, his family, both of which were lost to him long ago. "Gaze upon the destruction you have wrought, Ghost of Sparta. Look upon what you have created in your lust for Godly blood." Athena's Ghost spoke behind him.

"I have no need for your petty words, Athena. You are the last one who should speak, for you were imbedded with the sin of Greed. You wish to use the power I wield for your own evil intent." Kratos spoke, never looking back at her. "That power was placed in the chest by me, Kratos! IT BELONGS TO ME!" Athena yelled as she lunged at the pale man. He merely stepped to the side, causing her to plunge off the cliff, falling down towards the chaos below.

The Ghost of Sparta sighed and turned around, walking back into the ruins of the once mighty city of the Gods. He made his way through the familiar halls until he reached his destination: the Chambers of the God of War.

Inside it was strangely untouched. While the halls and passages were scorched and crumbling, his former chambers remained whole. The throne stood at the far end of the hall, near the Mystic Waters pool he had received prayers from. He walked towards it before turning left towards where his armors and trophies were collected.

The room was fairly large. It held all his weapons from the past, excluding those he used against Ares, seeing how they were taken back by their respective owners once he had become a God, and his weapons from his quest to the Sisters of Fate. But all else was here: the head of Medusa, the Arms of Sparta, and various other weaponry. He stopped in front of a suit of armor he hadn't seen since his last fight as an honourable Spartan.

The battle against the Barbarian Horde…

_***Flashback, 20 years prior…***_

_**Kratos, dressed in his proud black, silver and red armor, unsheathed his sword as he sat upon Kalias, his trusted white horse. "We must not stop! The Glory of Sparta will be spread across the world!" he yelled to his troops. "We are the greatest soldiers under Mount Olympus! We will show no mercy, for we are Spartans!" the ten thousand warriors cheered at his words. "Let us fight these Barbarians and give them a taste of our blades! Today we will win, or we will die honourably, my brothers!" He turned Kalias towards their enemy.**_

_**One word set off the events that would lead to his downfall. "Charge!"**_

_**The Spartan army ran towards their opposing force, the Barbarians following suite.**_

_**Kratos sliced at the throat of the first Barbarian, before leaping off Kalias and cutting down another. **_

_**The battle had not lasted very long. The Spartan soldiers fell faster than the Barbarians, and Kratos soon found himself at the mercy of the Barbarian King. He had only two options…**_

The Ghost of Sparta shook himself from that thought. 'No… even if I could return to that time and prevent all that from happening- wait… I could!' he thought to himself. 'I could return to that time and prevent all of this, the destruction of the Earth, from happening!' the idea made Kratos give a true smile for the first time in nearly three decades.

The man quickly removed the armor from its rack and put it on. He glanced down at himself, surprised that it still fit him after all these years before collecting all his weaponry and magic and moving out of his old chambers and into the ruined Hall of Zeus. From there Kratos reached into his magic, grasping hold of the Power of the Fates and teleporting himself through time, back to before he left Sparta to confront the Barbarians.

_**The city of Sparta, twenty years prior…**_

Kratos opened his eyes and found himself standing in front of his old home's doorway. He then looked down at his hands to see that he was now in his body before he was infused with the ashes of his family. He also still wore the armor from his service in Sparta and he kept the Blades of Exile on his back. "Kratos?" he heard a feminine voice call from behind.

The Spartan turned to see his beloved wife standing there with a smile on her face. "You seem troubled, my beloved." Kratos shook his head. "Nay, I am merely in thought." Lysandra smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Indeed?" she moved towards him and rubbed his arm affectionately. "And what could possibly trouble the mighty General Kratos?" she teased.

Being a general of Sparta was a wealthy position indeed. Kratos and his family lived near the palace of King Leonidas, in a mansion with a large garden and many servants. "I know of my true heritage." He told her. "And I doubt that you would believe my words." Lysandra smirked again. "I think you doubt my trust, beloved." Normally, wealthy Spartans were placed in arranged weddings, much like Kratos and his wife, rarely the two participants of such a wedding would truly ever love each other. Kratos and Lysandra were part of the lucky few to truly find love in one another.

The general sighed and planted a kiss upon her lips. "Thank you, for caring, my love, but I must leave at once. An army cannot fight without its leader." He said before exiting their home.

Kratos made his way through the busy streets of Sparta, towards the Northern Gate where his troops were waiting. He wondered how he was going to explain to his surviving men where he got the Blades of Exile from. Once he reached the Northern Gate he saw his one hundred legions ready for battle.

He nodded at the captain of his ranks, Captain Danasios, to give the order to follow as Kratos mounted his white stallion, Kalias. The army headed North, towards the Barbaric lands.

_**A few weeks later…**_

The army had travelled towards the Lowlands where Kratos' scouts had reported seeing them. They appeared to have been preparing for war, and in Sparta's best interest, Kratos decided to attack the possible threat first.

He sat on Kalias before his mighty army, ready to give his speech once again, but this time it would be different.

"Brothers of Sparta!" he started. "On this day, a lot of blood shall be spilt! We must fight like the warriors we are! Those Barbarians threaten our great city of Sparta and they outnumber us as well! Fight to your greatest extent, and I will aid you all! I am your General, Kratos of Sparta! I say we fight until we achieve glory, or a glorious death! But today, let us hope we gain glory instead, so our brothers in Sparta will not have to fight these Barbarians! Charge!"

With the order, Kratos and his men ran forward to face their opponent.

Once again the battle lasted mere ours, but this time, in the Spartan's favour. Kratos had unleashed his power the moment Kalias collapsed, unleashing the power of the Blades of Exile, the Barbarians watched in surprise and horror as the Spartan General sliced down their soldiers with his two chained blades and the magic power they held.

As Kratos dealt with the mass of Barbarians, his troops merely picked off those who were retreating or those who tried to overwhelm their great leader. In the end a small amount of the once massive Barbarian army managed to escape the carnage, but some of those died by Spartan arrows.

Once the rage of battle had worn off Kratos had ordered a body count on the Spartan dead. They had counted about fifty dead Spartans, which greatly pleased the General. He looked to his surviving army. "Brothers, you have all fought well on this day! Rest for the night, we shall return to Sparta at dawn." He ordered as he went to set up his tent after burying Kalias.

The Spartans feasted in their glory and held a moment of silence for the fifty Spartans who had died honourably in the battle.

_**Two weeks after the battle…**_

The citizens of Sparta greeted the returning army with a large celebration. King Leonidas himself had once again thanked the soldiers for what they had done. "General Kratos, you and your men have once again protected our city, and in return we thank you all for your sacrifice." He had said to the General.

Soon after the speech Kratos had returned to his home where Calliope and Lysandra were waiting for him. "Daddy!" the little girl exclaimed as she ran up to hug her father. Kratos picked her up onto his hip and kissed his wife. "Greetings, child. I hope you have been well during the past month?" he spoke to his daughter he actually hadn't seen since the fiasco with Hades' wife and the world pillar.

Calliope nodded happily to her father as they sat down in the family hall. The room was large with many chairs and a few tables in it. A fireplace was situated in the centre of the room as well. The little girl started telling her father about what happened to her during the past two weeks, about her new friends and all other things.

_**Meanwhile upon Olympus…**_

Ares growled angrily as he watched the man who was supposed to be his pawn, Kratos, happily spend time with his family. 'How did he obtain such powerful weaponry? Those blades are even more powerful than the Blades of Chaos!' the God of War thought angrily. 'This could be a problem..'

Athena watched with a smile from her own chambers as Kratos and his family conversed. 'Well done, Kratos. You have undone all the deeds that caused the world's downfall and kept your family in the process… I will see you soon, God of War…' Athena thought to herself, knowing what was to happen in the coming weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Brought Before the Gods**

**_Olympus, the Chamber of the Pantheon, a few weeks later…_**

The entire Pantheon was seated upon the gallery that made the Pantheon Chamber. Zeus arose from his seat and raised his hands to address his fellow Gods. "This mortal, Kratos, has proven himself worthy of receiving an audience with us." He started. "He and his family will appear before us in three days' time. In the meantime none of you will interact with him in any way or form, understood?" Zeus demanded, to which everyone muttered their agreement.

The King of the Gods gave subtle glances directed at his son. He knew that Ares wished to kill him and take over Olympus. He was the only son that knew of his true father, one of the others being the Demigod who would soon join them on the Pantheon within three days. _'By the Fates, let Kratos accept my offer and me as well when we meet…'_ he prayed to the only higher powers that existed.

**_Sparta, Kratos' home…_**

The General of Sparta was sitting on his balcony that overlooked the city he had protected for so long. He took in all the sights he could see from there: Leonidas' palace, the palace gardens, his home's garden, the Temple of Ares and the mountain range just beyond the kingdom's border. Kratos knew that Athens' borders lied far beyond that mountain range, with the Aegean Sea to the east of Sparta. Mount Olympus would be northwest of his beloved city.

Kratos sighed and felt the familiar presence of Athena behind him. He turned to face the Goddess of Wisdom. "Athena, may I ask what you seek me for?" "Kratos, the Pantheon of the Gods request that you and your family appear before them within three days. I will come retrieve you on the third day from now."

The Spartan nodded. "Very well, Athena." The goddess then returned to Olympus, leaving Kratos to his thoughts.

**_The next day…_**

The General of Sparta awoke to the rise of Helios' sun, ready to spend the day with his family once more. Since Kratos had felt the pain of losing them not once, but twice, he was more than determined to keep them by his side at almost all times. After breakfast, where he feasted upon roast boar, fresh bread and goblets of wine that left much to be desired, he took Calliope to the gardens and handed her a small light-weight sword.

"I only wish for you to be able to protect yourself, my child. So I am going to train you to use a sword. If you can wield a sword, you can start training with more complex weaponry." He explained when she asked him why he wanted to train her.

They spent four hours going over basic movements, blocks and techniques before taking a short break and returning to the training. By the end of the day, Calliope could use two short swords to defend herself and take down an enemy. After Lysandra put her to bed, she met with her husband in their chambers where she wished to satisfy her curiosity his action had brought.

"Why did you train our daughter to use weaponry? She will not be a warrior, she wishes to be a musician." She asked. Kratos shook his head. "I had a vision where she was unable to defend herself, nor was I there to protect her, and she died by a beast's hand. I wish for her to be safe." Lysandra smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Dear, you seem to be lying to me. Tell me the true reason behind your action."

With a sigh, the demigod sat them both down upon the bed and began revealing everything that would have transpired from the battle against the Barbarians: how he would fall, how Ares would make him his servant, even how he would accidentally kill them. He even revealed how he became the God of War, how he discovered who his true father is, and how he brought the fall of Olympus.

Before she could question how it was possible, he explained how he used the power he gained from the Sisters of Fate to travel back through time and replace himself. Nodding at all the new information, Lysandra gave him a smile. "That shows how much you truly care about us, if you were willing to face all that, just to return to us." She said.

Kratos allowed a smile to appear upon his face at her words. "Thank you for trusting me, Lysandra." The woman smiled and kissed him. "What sort of wife would I be to not trust or listen to you, my husband?" With those words, the couple headed to their bed for another night's rest.

**_The next day…_**

The General of Sparta awoke to the sound of a melody played upon a flute. Knowing whom the composer of the specific melody was, Kratos rose from his bed and made his way to the bathhouse and prepared for his meeting with the Gods. Dressing in his General Armor after having it polished by a servant, he made his way to Calliope's room.

Moving aside the curtain, he entered the room to see his daughter sitting upon her balcony, playing the very first melody she ever composed. Kratos merely stood there, relishing in the glorious sound that formerly haunted his nightmares.

Calliope paused her song and turned to see her father watching her. "Good morrow, Daddy." The Spartan smiled. "Good morrow, Calliope. Are you prepared for today?" she raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What is happening today?" Kratos realized he never told her about their meeting with the Pantheon. "We will be heading to Olympus, child. The Gods demand our presence."

With that, he left his daughter to prepare and ate breakfast in the dining hall. Once Lysandra and Calliope had also eaten, Athena appeared in the mansion foyer. The two mortals bowed to the Goddess while Kratos merely bowed his head. "Athena, I presume we are to leave for Olympus now?" she nodded and with a bright flash, the family found themselves in a hall only Kratos and Athena recognised.

The Gods were all seated upon the Pantheon, with Athena having taken her place beside Zeus.

The King of the Gods arose from his seat, and raised his hand as Kratos took in all the familiar faces. Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Amphitrite, Persephone, Hermes, Apollo, Dionysus, Boreas, Aphrodite, Artemis, Demeter, Hephaestus, Hestia and Selene were all present. The only God who was not upon the Pantheon was Ares, which Kratos found odd.

Zeus spoke up, his voice causing Calliope to jump slightly in surprise. "We are all gathered here today, to welcome my son, Kratos, the General of Sparta, into the Pantheon. But," Zeus paused and glanced towards Kratos, who was glaring at him in suspicion. "first he must prove himself worthy," Pausing again, the King of the Gods motioned to a large door, which opened to reveal the God of War, clutching his sword proudly. "by defeating the God of War." The King of the Gods turned to Kratos.

"What say you, Kratos of Sparta, do you accept?" Kratos gazed at Ares, and then to Zeus. "What will become of my family, should I accept, Lord Zeus?" he asked. "They will become immortals just as yourself." Zeus answered. The Demigod gazed back at Ares, walking up to him and unsheathing his Spear of Destiny. "I accept your challenge, Lord Zeus."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:**** Hey, here's chapter three. Sorry for the wait and thanks to all of you for the reviews. I'm surprised at how much attention this story's been getting as of late. Enjoy, read and review!**

**Chapter 3: Kratos Rises Again**

**_Olympus, Chamber of the Pantheon…_**

Calliope and Lysandra made their way to Athena, sitting down beside her as Kratos and Ares prepared to duel. Kratos flipped the spear around in his hands. Ares merely laughed and unsheathed his sword. "Are you ready to die, Spartan?" the God of War asked his opponent.

"I have defeated you once, fuelled by revenge, now I will defeat you fuelled by my will to protect my family." Kratos shot back. Everyone excluding Athena and Zeus, who knew that this Kratos was from the timeline when Ares tricked him, stared at the Spartan in confusion. The God of War barked out a laugh and raised his sword.

"Let us fight Spartan! Then maybe I can rid you of your delusion." Ares swung his sword to ready himself. Kratos nodded and the God of War ran forward to begin the fight. Ares slashed at the Spartan's waist, but the hit was blocked and his blade was shoved away, putting him off balance, which allowed an opening for Kratos to attack by stabbing him in the side.

Growling in pain, Ares stepped back. "It seems that I have underestimated you, Spartan. But let me show you the true power of the God of War!" he pulled out an item from his pouch. The Pantheon gasped as they saw Pandora's Box dangling in Ares' grip. "Would you fight me if I used this on you?" Kratos glanced at the fearful looks the rest of the Gods gave the madman before him.

"Yes, God of War. But only to have you die by my feet." He answered.

Enraged, Ares opened the Box and felt his power increase. "Haha! Now you will see true power, Kratos!" Looking around, Kratos decided to reveal his own trump card. "I have more power than you, Ares." He replaced the Spear of Destiny and unsheathed the glowing blue blade from his back and swung it around to get used to feel of the weapon again.

Ares paled as he realized what weapon his opponent was wielding. "How did you get hold of the Blade of Olympus?" The Spartan smirked. "I know more than you think, Ares." Releasing some of his energy into the Blade, Kratos swung it towards his enemy, sending a wave of charged power towards Ares which cut through the God, sending him back in pain.

The two Gods of War stood, unmoving, glaring at one another. Then, a smile appeared on Ares' face. "Haha! Whomever aided you must truly be powerful, Kratos." The madman spoke. "For I know that the Blade of Olympus is in the hands of our father. Therefore, you must have returned from a different time."

Kratos merely struck the God again. "None have aided me, Ares. In my true time, I killed off you and most of the Gods, and All of the Titans. I returned because I rued my mistake, I came to change the destiny of the world." Another blow was thrown, but was blocked by Ares' blade. "It seems my other self had taught you well, then, to be able to kill almost all of us." Ares spoke. Kratos shook his head. "I am done speaking to you, Ares. You will now face your judgement."

With those words, the Spartan increased his ferocity, striking blow after blow, of which only a few were blocked by his opponent. The Gods were surprised by Kratos' speed and strength.

Soon enough, Ares was downed, lying on the stone floor before Kratos, bleeding heavily out of a gash in his side. "Kratos, do not do this. I merely wished to make you a better warrior!" the mad God tried to reason with him. The Spartan glared at him. "You wished to make me a better warrior at the cost of my family, Ares. At the cost of what I cared for most." He readied the Blade.

"In the timeline I am from, you succeeded. And it resulted in the destruction of Olympus at my hands. I killed almost all of the Gods, because they had been tainted by the sins of Pandora's Box, which I used to kill you with in that timeline." Kratos explained. "I will NOT allow the world to fall again." With those words, he implanted the blade of his weapon through Ares' chest.

Ares grunted in pain as the blade was removed. "Damnation upon you, Kratos." He grunted before falling backwards, uttering out his last breath as his back hit the ground. This time, Ares' body didn't explode in the magnificent explosion it had when Kratos fought him the first time, the body merely dissolved into glowing orange specs of light.

Once the body was completely destroyed, Kratos sheathed his weapon and turned to the Pantheon and his family. "It is done, Lord Zeus." The King of the Gods smiled and held out his arms. "Then you are now welcome upon Mount Olympus, Kratos, as the new God of War." He nodded, but then posed a question to his father.

"What of my brother and my mother?" Zeus faltered for a moment, but then regained his confidence. "Your brother will be freed and his injuries healed, and will be returned to your mother in Sparta." He said, motioning towards Thanatos, who merely snarled angrily before teleporting away to complete his new task.

As the Olympians celebrated Ares' death and Kratos' rise, the victor himself made his way out of the Hall of the Gods, where the celebration was taking place. Athena, who had spoken with Lysandra before the former mortal woman and Calliope had left with Hera for a tour of Olympus, made her way after her brother in worry. She was aware that he was not of the current timeline before Ares revealed it, due to her being the Goddess of Wisdom, she had the ability to learn anything about anyone just by setting her gaze upon them for a specified amount of time.

The longer she watched, the more she learned.

A cunning trick she discovered back shortly after she gained her title. However, what she didn't know, was how or why he came here, and to try and gain this Kratos' trust, she'd rather ask him personally. She found the new god sitting upon his throne, in a thoughtful pose. "Kratos?" the warrior's gaze moved to her and he removed the hand supporting his chin to the armrest. "Athena, what brings you here?"

The goddess walked closer to him. "I am aware that you are from a different time, Ghost of Sparta." This surprised him greatly. He had not expected her to be aware of that. "And what will the Goddess of Wisdom do with such knowledge?" Kratos asked as Athena turned to leave. "Nothing, as of yet. But beware, should you step out of line, Spartan…"

With the threat, the goddess left and the Spartan sighed and tried to relax into his new throne.

Once again finding the throne uncomfortable, Kratos began remodelling his chambers. The torches that aligned the walls he remodelled into the shape of Spartan war hounds, the marble floor was split into three elongated sections and the sections against the walls sunk down and filled with water. Seven golden, curved spikes moved out of the wall, red banners hanging from them above the water.

The throne was a large chair made of gold, with ram skulls carved into the armrests and a crimson shroud hanging over the back. Beside the throne were two giant torches, alit with crimson-gold flames. He extended the room to the left and right of the throne, with two rooms on each side. On the left were his sleeping chambers and bathing room, and on the right were his armoury and his war chamber. He erected a prayer pool inside the war chamber, before relaxing in his new, more comfortable throne.

The heavy golden doors of his chamber opened and his family entered. Lysandra and Calliope looked over the room in awe. Realizing Kratos had forgotten about his daughter, he quickly created a room for her next to his sleeping chambers. "Does this appeal to your image of the God of War?" he asked as he rose from his throne and walked over to his family. His wife smirked and caressed his torso, feeling over the scar below his right chest. "Indeed, Lord Kratos." She answered, kissing him on the chin.

Calliope's eyes were opened wide at the design of the room. "Father?" she asked, noticing the throne. Kratos noticed his daughter's line of sight and nodded. "Yes, Calliope, you may." He said, prompting her to run up and sit down on the gold chair. Sitting up straight and pretending to hold an aura of being higher than the Gods, she spoke. "I am Calliope, Goddess of War and all mortals shall bow before me."

Her parents let out a laugh as they went along with her pretending, bowing before her. "I do hope our pretty goddess will spare us." Lysandra said, looking up to her. Calliope giggled. "I might, if you can persuade me." Kratos held his right hand to his chest. "I will defend my goddess to the death." The little girl smiled and climbed off the throne, running up to Kratos and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you father." After a while they broke the hug and Lysandra lead their daughter to her new room, putting her to bed with a song while Kratos went to his armoury.

He made his way up to the spear that was the Arms of Sparta. Flashes of a mighty city, ablaze and crumbling, with its citizens screaming in pain and crying out to the former General. Soldiers being crushed by god-sized feet and fists, buildings being stomped on and smashed.

"Kratos?" his wife's voice broke him from his memories. "Yes, my beloved?" he returned, turning back to face her. "What ails you, God of War?" she asked, moving up to him. Kratos smiled and softly caressed his wife's cheek with the back of his hand. "Visions of my past life." Was all he said, before kissing her and making his way back to his throne. Lysandra walked after the man, only to notice him speaking with a servant.

"Lord Hephaestus demands your presence in his chamber, Lord Kratos. You are in need of armor, as the new God of War has an image to maintain." With a nod, Kratos followed the servant, leaving Lysandra to herself.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'd like to comment to my most recent reviewer, questioning about how Calliope managed to improve so much in half a day. You have to take into consideration that she has the blood of a demigod, is the daughter of a former God of War, who managed to destroy Olympus, kill the main trinity of Olympian Gods, defeat Chronos and the Sisters of Fate. Anyway, thank you to all of you who still enjoy this story, despite its author's incompetence at updating...**

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**Chapter 4: Artemis' Task**

**_Olympus, Chamber of Athena, a few days later…_**

The Goddess of Wisdom sat on her throne, watching over the mortals in her city. When she had some of the servants clear out Ares' chamber after his death, they had found schematics and plans to take over all of Greece using the Spartan-turned-God as his General. Athena had given the schematics to Kratos, who after reading through them, then nearly destroyed the Olympic Battle Arena.

The Spartan's wife had managed to calm him down, and Calliope had then spent time training with Kratos again, once more using the dual blades he had gifted her. The young girl progressed fairly well, nearly landing a hit on her father after being blocked and countered countless times. After their training had ended, Kratos left to go skulk the halls in anger, threatening servants and lower-class Gods who bumped into him or attempted to talk with him.

Dionysus had met up with the God of War, his eagerness a great annoyance to Kratos, and led the Spartan to a large room that contained a table with two chairs and was stocked full of wine. "What is this place, God of Wine?" Kratos asked as the larger man motioned to the chair. "My private wine store, I wish to converse with the newest addition to the Gods while having a drink." Dionysus explained with a smirk.

"Why?" the other God asked, glaring at the drunkard. "Because no man is an island, Kratos. You may believe that you stand alone in this world, but you will always have allies." Kratos sighed. "Allies who will only betray me in the end, yes. Sparta is my home, my family. One does not betray family, therefore Sparta will be loyal to me, as I will be loyal to them." He told the larger man.

"All of the Gods, excluding myself and a few other Risen Gods, are blood family, Kratos, yourself included." Dionysus shot back. "And yet Hades plots the death of Zeus." The God of War rebounded. The Wine god had to give the Spartan an agreeing nod. "True as that may be, with the right attitude and by appealing to the other Gods' tastes, you may find yourself with enough allies to hypothetically overthrow our glorious King." Dionysus tried. "I am not implying for you to do so, but merely that you must befriend the other Gods, and your duties as God of War will become far less tiresome."

Kratos became interested in the drunkard god's babbling. "Explain?" Dionysus smirked. "If you manage to appeal to the Wind Gods, you'll be able to request favourable winds for Sparta's ships. If you appeal to Hephaestus, you might gain a glorious suit of armor to inspire those who worship you, and if you appeal to the food-related Gods and Goddesses, you may acquire better living conditions for your beloved Spartans." He explained.

The bald man thought over his newfound information for a bit before speaking. "What you speak seems liable. How would I go about, acquiring the appeal of the other Gods?" The God of Wine laughed. "By completing tasks, challenges and giving them gifts, Kratos! We Gods are known to have great appeal to those who praise us." Kratos snorted. "Ah, yes. So even with my new title, I must do tasks for the Gods? Bah!" he waved his companion off.

Dionysus shrugged. "It is not a requirement, Kratos, you do not need to do tasks for the Gods, but you may if you so wish. It'll only help you in the end." The pale man nodded and stood up, finishing off his goblet. "I will consider your words, God of Wine." He said before stomping out of the Chamber and back to his own.

Calliope was in the Great Library with Athena, who took it upon herself to teach the young girl at her half-sister-in-law's request. The Goddess of Wisdom had bonded with both Lysandra and her daughter fairly quickly, as they questioned what happened to Kratos in his previous timeline.

The family had quickly learned about how, after Ares had tricked Kratos into killing them, he had gone on a quest to find the Box of Pandora, which he then used to kill Ares with, resulting in him becoming God of War. But with the opening of the Box, it had resulted in the Gods betraying Kratos, bringing forth their own destruction.

Athena was showing them the last part of the tale through a vision.

**_"Gaze upon the destruction you have wrought, Ghost of Sparta. Look upon what you have created in your lust for Godly blood." Athena's Ghost spoke behind him._**

**_"_****_I have no need for your petty words, Athena. You are the last one who should speak, for you were imbedded with the sin of Greed. You wish to use the power I wield for your own evil intent." Kratos spoke, never looking back at her. "That power was placed in the chest by me, Kratos! IT BELONGS TO ME!" Athena yelled as she lunged at the pale man. He merely stepped to the side, causing her to plunge off the cliff, falling down towards the chaos below._**

**_The Ghost of Sparta sighed and turned around, walking back into the ruins of the once mighty city of the Gods._**

"I see you have shown them what would have occurred." The trio looked up to see Kratos looking at them. Athena nodded in response. "Yes, Kratos. They requested to know the whole story." The warrior sighed and walked closer to his family. "And what do they think of me, now that they know what happened?" he asked.

Lysandra smiled and shook her head, walking closer to give her husband a kiss. "I swore to always love and follow you, Kratos. Why would that end, knowing you killed the Gods to avenge your family?" Calliope nodded and hugged her father in agreement.

Kratos gave them a grateful smile and broke the hug. "Thank you, Lysandra, Calliope." He turned to Athena. "Athena, do you know of any of the other Gods who require tasks completed?" the Goddess of Wisdom contemplated for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I believe Lady Artemis has a challenge for you, Kratos."

The God of War nodded respectfully. "Thank you, Athena. Then I shall go converse with her immediately." The warrior left the women to their conversation again.

**_Chamber of the Huntress, Artemis…_**

Artemis gazed through her own prayer pool, watching as a group of hunters sent her a request for a good hunt. "I shall grant you your hunt. Perhaps I will observe it as well." She muttered, working her praise down to the group of mortals with a small smirk.

She sat down on her throne just as the doors to her chambers were kicked open by the one Olympian she still wished to speak with.

"Well, Lord Kratos…" she sent him a smirk. "What brings you to my throne?" Kratos sighed before he stood before her and nodded as a sign of respect, removing the blade he had forged himself shortly after becoming God of War.

It was a light weapon, something used much like his own chained weapons, but it was a single sword rather than his two medium-sized blades. "I come bringing you a small token of my appreciation as a fellow warrior, Goddess of the Hunt." Kratos stated, slamming the blade's tip into the ground before him. "I also come offering my service to any possible favours."

Artemis' expression became one of amusement as she glanced over the blade before looking to the God of War himself. "You wish me to become an ally, do you not?" she asked. Kratos nodded. "I…conversed with Dionysus. The drunk fool spoke some sense, so I took his advice." The goddess stood up and walked over to the man, pulling the weapon out of the ground and swinging it around, getting a feel of the weapon.

"This is wondrous craftsmanship, Lord Kratos." She praised the weapon. "I have one task I believe you might complete." Artemis turned around and motioned for the man to follow. The two gods walked to a map of the world which was painted on a wall. The goddess pointed to a small island of the coast of south Greece.

"I have sent a group of Amazonians to clear out the island of Gorgons, Wraiths and Undead, seemingly planted there by an unknown being, since Lord Hades denies any involvement and Ares was focussed on Athens." Artemis explained. "My favour will be granted to you if you managed to aid my sisters and clear out all of the creatures there."

Kratos smirked. "As you wish, Lady Artemis. I will leave immediately." He nodded before making his way back to his chambers, where he grabbed the Blade of Olympus, The Barbarian Hammer and the Spear of Destiny before teleporting himself to his desired location.

**_Small Island, South of Greece, Mediterranean Sea_**

The God of War stood proudly as he scanned across the sand shore of his destination. Seeing no opponents, he marched into the woods.

Kratos followed a dense-covered path until he managed to reach a clearing, where he spotted a trio of Gorgon Assassins slithering amongst each other. He smirked viciously and unsheathed the Blade of Olympus from his back.

Seeing as how they hadn't spotted him yet, the God of War used a burst of Godly Speed to rush forward and swung the blade, severing the head of the first Gorgon and coming to a skidded halt. The other two barely flinched at the death of their comrade and immediately set out to attack the warrior.

The first sent a flash of Gorgon Sight at him, only to have him avoid it by moving behind the second, turning it to stone instead. Kratos smirked and bashed the hilt of the Blade against the stone, shattering it thanks to his strength.

He then leapt over the last Gorgon and grabbed her behind her head and stomped on her tail before beginning to pull her head. The Gorgon strained and snarled, flailing her arms as it tried to escape the God of War's grip, only to screech in pain as her head was torn from her neck.

Kratos ignored the flailing body and simply dropped the head before continuing on his way.

The God of War went on, cutting through Undead Soldiers, Wraiths, Harpies and a Cyclops with ease, until he managed to find the warriors he was sent to aid.

He stepped out onto a small clearing and noticed a group of thirteen women, dressed in furs and wielding clubs, swords, axes and spears as they fought against a group of Wraiths and Undead Sentinels. Kratos simply unsheathed his Blades of Exile and rushed forward, into the group of Undead, leapt into the air, charged his Blades with crimson energy and slammed them into the ground, the resulting shockwave sending them flying. Without a moment of hesitation, he jumped again and cast Poseidon's Rage. "I am the God of War!" he exclaimed as the creatures around him were electrocuted by oceanic blue lightning bolts.

Kratos swung his blades the moment his feet touched the ground again, slicing through three Sentinels before he executed a Wraith and a Sentinel in a row.

Once all the creatures were defeated, the God sheathed his Blades and turned to see the leader of the group of warriors, a young redhead with crimson tribal paint on her face, walked up to him. A large halberd was strapped to her back.

"Greetings, Lord Kratos." The woman spoke, her voice firm and commanding. "I am Electra, Queen of the Amazons and Servant of Lady Artemis. She informed us she would send aid, however we were not expecting the God Slayer."

Kratos frowned. "I came here as a favour to Artemis. I have no other reason as to help you. Nor do I fear any repercussions should…I…kill…you." He threatened.

"Now, now." Electra smirked. "There is no need for threats, Lord Kratos. We are thankful for the aid, but you may return to Olympus now." She pointed to the small path into the forest. "Our destination is just down this path." The God of War nodded and turned around. "I shall inform Lady Artemis of your aid, Lord Kratos." Electra said before leading her warriors into the forest.

Kratos sighed and closed his eyes as he teleported back to his chamber.

**_Olympus, Chamber of Kratos…_**

The warrior glanced around his chamber before smiling softly once he spotted Calliope sitting at the foot of his throne, playing a soft melody on her flute. "Father!" she smiled when she noticed Kratos walking closer to the throne.

He smiled and ruffled her hair. "Good evening, Calliope. Where is your mother?"

The girl set her flute down in her lap. "Mother said she was summoned by Lady Athena for something." She replied. Kratos frowned before nodding and sitting down on his throne and patting the armrest.

Calliope climbed onto the armrest and began playing another melody, lulling her father into a state of calm he had not felt in a long time…


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**** Finally! I've managed to create something with the sparse inspiration I unfortunately have remaining for God of War. Despite my still-remaining love for the series, and my excitement over the upcoming game, I have not played any of the games in almost two years now. This chapter finally gives a glimpse of the main antagonist, who will remain unnamed until the next update (whenever that might be).**

**To you who have remained waiting for me to update, thank you for your patience and understanding. I've been very busy, and still might be in the coming months. If I end up running out of things to write, I'll put up this story for adoption.**

**As far as I feel, this story is losing potential and slowly dying in my hands...I don't want that to happen, especially since its one of the very first stories I've ever felt confident enough to post (despite numerous better stories I've written that have yet to be posted).**

**Chapter 5: Titles and Ascensions**

**_Three days later, Olympus, Chamber of Records…_**

Kratos sat at a desk silently, pouring over various scrolls and maps he had dug out amongst all the vast number of parchments that was stacked around him. As he read over the records of the Trojan War, he was subtly made aware of a presence that was not usually in the Chamber.

He was aware the Goddess of Wisdom had her own chamber, filled to the near brim with copies of parchments that bore various knowledgeable articles, but he remembered that she confided in him that the Chamber of Records was her own special place on Mount Olympus other than her own Chamber.

Having been living as a god for a grand total of ten years and a few months now, he was well accustomed to the ways of the gods…however corrupt they may be.

The Spartan sighed at the memory of his vengeful quest against Olympus…the very future he changed.

Defiance, was not something foreign to the warrior. He had defied many in his life…Sparta, his superiors, Athena, Ares, Zeus, Gaia. He even defied his own fate…and every act of defiance had built up to the destruction of the chains that held the mortal world safe.

But with that knowledge, the Ghost of Sparta, Kratos shook his head, he would not be known by that name ever again, the God of War, had used the power he had received after killing off Atropos, Clotho and Lahkesis to change the fate of not only himself, but the entire world and the gods as well.

He smirked as he remembered Ares' fear before his death. Well, most of the gods, anyway.

"Kratos?" the Spartan was brought back from his musings to see his wife standing in front of him. She glanced over the parchments and noticed what they were. "I see you have been reading up on you position."

"I am simply reading." He told her. "I may be the God of War, but I have no duties until mortals begin fighting battles." He rolled up a few of the scrolls. "Where is Calliope?"

Lysandra smiled. "Lady Athena has told me she would take it upon herself to educate Calliope on the ways and doings of the gods." She replied as she sat down next to her husband and ran her hand over his chest slowly. "This will give us more time to ourselves…"

Kratos smirked and leaned closer, softly sliding the back of his hand against her cheek, "Lysandra…you are mine, and I am forever yours." He told her as his expression softened.

"I will always be by your side, my God of War." Lysandra replied as they leant in…

**_Chamber of the Pantheon…_**

Zeus, Hera, Hades and Poseidon were all seated in the chamber, staring each other down in silence.

"So…we are here to discuss Kratos, yes?" Poseidon asked firmly. Zeus nodded and motioned to the pool in the centre of the table, which lit up to reveal an image of Calliope and Lysandra. "As well as the two newest arrivals upon Olympus." He stated.

"As you are aware, only Gods and servants are allowed within our great palace, yet," he paused to look at his brothers. "Kratos' family has yet to become one or the other!" Hades huffed a plume of smoke from his mouth. "And you want to decide what titles these two will obtain should they ascend."

Zeus nodded. "What titles can be granted to two with innocence and undying loyalty? They are pure and yet show great strength." Hera turned to her husband. "I believe we could make the youngling the Goddess of Light, since it will befit her cheerful and innocent personality."

Poseidon nodded. "And the woman can become the Goddess of Triumph, or perhaps Power." He added. "Befitting for the wife to the God of War." Hades merely nodded in what they assumed was agreement. "But then we will have to begin the preparations for their own ceremonies." Hera spoke. "They will both have to be given magic, armour and weapons can be forged by Hephaestus, and we'll need to grant them their own throne chambers for their titles."

The King of the Gods smiled and raised his arms. "Then we shall prepare for this immediately." He turned to a servant by the doors. "Send word to Hephaestus, we request weapons and armour for the wife and child of Kratos." He ordered, and the servant bowed before leaving to complete her task.

Hera stood up from her place. "I shall go gift Lysandra and Calliope their magic." She said as she too left the chamber.

Hades huffed from his position as the stone beneath him lit up with blackish-crimson energy. "I was once again not really needed." He commented as he teleported back to the Underworld.

Zeus turned to his remaining brother. "Do you think we are doing the right thing, Poseidon?" The God of Seas and Storms nodded. "I would think so, Brother. However, only time and the Fates will be able to tell if we truly are."

**_Later…_**

Kratos sighed as he lay on the large bed in his chamber, Lysandra lying in his side. The god observed his beloved's sleeping features, a sight he valued greatly.

He had given infinite more value to everything about his family, due to the loss he had realized and felt all those years ago. 'No,' he thought to himself. 'I am a god who bested the other gods, the titans and the Sisters of Fate. Nothing will stand in my way of protecting them ever again. I will protect my family.'

Giving one last loving glance at his beloved's sleeping face, he closed his eyes and allowed Morpheus to carry him into his rest…

**_Two days later, Chamber of the Pantheon…_**

Kratos found himself seated between Athena and Artemis, with every single Greek God also seated in the large circular chamber that was used for any and all meetings regarding the majority Gods or the mortals who worshipped them.

He glanced to the centre of the room, where his wife and daughter stood nervously, though Lysandra did not show it.

The King of the Gods slowly arose from his throne as the lesser Gods quieted down to listen.

"As you all are aware, we've been harbouring mortals here in the halls of Olympus." Zeus began, glancing around. "These mortals, despite their relation to the God of War, have no purpose among us." Muttering broke out among the Gods as Kratos glared at his father murderously.

Before the God of War could act, the elder God held up his hands. "Which is why, on this day, we welcome forth the two new additions to the Pantheon." Zeus motioned to the woman. "Lysandra, the Goddess of Triumph," his hand moved to the little girl. "and Calliope the Goddess of Joy."

Kratos' eyes widened in shock as his family were bestowed with the Power of the Gods.

Hephaestus, who had, for once, joined the meeting, and Hera both stepped forward to gift the new Goddesses. The Smith God gave the woman a spear forged of blackened metal, and the girl a set of two short swords with runes etched into the intricate gold hilts.

The Goddess of Nature smiled calmly at the two before forming two white spheres in her hands and placing them to the women's chests. "With my Gift, I bestow upon thee, Lysandra, the power to command armies to victory and wield flames of pride." She told the woman, turning to the girl. "and to you, young Calliope, I bestow the power to bring forth joy to the mortals who serve us, with your harp you can make anyone smile, even the most coldest of beings."

Kratos smiled as he watched the ceremony, the last bit of resentment towards Zeus slowly fading away as his mind finally completely realized that this was not the same Pantheon that had ruined his life.

**_Earth, east of Sparta, near the coastal city of Prasiae…_**

The whole city lay ruined, masses of Greek soldiers and civilians lying dead in the streets and buildings crumbling and burning. A large man dressed in grandly decorated steel armour smirked viciously as he observed the destruction with pride.

"Hahahahahaha!" he laughed.

"Commander!"

The man turned to face one of his soldiers, a messenger, who had called out to him. "What is it?"

The messenger bowed. "Sir, the troops have all cleared the city. No one is alive anymore, sir." He said swiftly. "We are awaiting your command."

"Prepare everyone to set out." The man cracked his neck as he heaved his large halberd onto his shoulder. "We've got a God waiting for us, after all."


End file.
